


The most important thing (has always been you)

by erciareyes



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: (just mentioning it before hand in case someone can't handle a female's basic bodily functions), Bubble Bath, F/M, Fluff, Menstruation, This is mostly fluff though, mentions of Shitty's family, slight racism (it's just a brief comment)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-24
Updated: 2016-04-24
Packaged: 2018-06-04 05:45:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6643744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erciareyes/pseuds/erciareyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Damn Shitty, I am on my period, not disabled, bro. I can open doors just fine," Lardo laughed and jumped out of the car.</p><p>The cramps had reduced a bit during the drive and the upcoming headache had vanished completely. Maybe getting out of the situation had done the trick.</p><p>"I know that but as soon as we step foot into that hotel room, I am gonna spoil you rotten, Lards as a 'Thank You' for hanging out with my awful family."</p><p>------------</p><p>Lardo accompanies Shitty to his father's birthday party, set on making it a great day for Shitty despite his family. But somehow, things go a little different.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The most important thing (has always been you)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CreativeHale (CreativeShadows)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CreativeShadows/gifts).



> This is my first (but definitely not my last) fanfic for Check,Please. I've fallen in love with all of the characters, especially with the relationship between Shitty & Lardo, though. I don't even care how it will develop, I just want them together as friends or lovers or partners in crime. They belong together in my eyes ;) 
> 
> I give a special thanks to Ninchuser/redeyedwrath (also a great writer on AO3, you should check them out ^___^) for looking over this fanfic & proof-reading it a bit for me & to creativehale for supporting me & motivating me so much. Thank you, darlings. <3

„Hey…hey, Lards. You okay?“

Lardo shivered next to Shitty, leaning against him a bit more.

“Yeah…just lady problems, you know? Nothing serious,” she said, giving him a smile that looked so fake that Shitty could have sworn he’d seen that type of smile on his father’s face before.

“Are you sure? You know, you can talk to me about your problems…even if they’re lady problems. I live to help ladies with their lady problems, you know me.”

Shitty put his arm around Lardo, pulling her closer into his side and stoked her hair out of her face with his other hand.

“Damn, you’re hot,” he breathed out when his fingers touched her forehead. She was burning up.

“Thanks, Shitty. Likewise,” she laughed lightly and only to wince seconds later, grimacing in pain.

Lardo lifted her head to look at Shitty. She had come here with a mission. A mission she wasn’t ready to give up because Shitty was her friend, her best friend, and she had promised him to support him at his dad’s 55th birthday. But this…this was something else. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d been in so much pain because of her period ever since she’d been 16 years old.

"I didn't mean it like that…although I gotta be honest and say that you are very hot indeed," Shitty gave her a smile, the one that was a little crooked. The one Lardo liked on him the most.

Lardo put her head against Shitty's side again and watched the people around them. There was Shitty's dad, a tall man with broad shoulders in an obviously expensive suit. His hair was falling out already, leaving him with a weird bald spot at the top of his mind. Next to him his new wife, Monica, was clinging to his arm with one hand and to a cocktail glass with her other. Lardo wasn't sure if she'd seen Monica without a glass in her hand at all since she arrived earlier. She asked herself what a woman like Monica, who was so pretty, sophisticated and seemingly very clever as well wanted with a man like Shitty's father but she had promised herself a long time ago that she wouldn't judge other women's decisions.

Then there was Shitty's grandmother, an elegant, small lady in a stylish costume and a hat. Lardo still felt Mrs. Knight's eyes judgingly on her, silently demeaning her dress, her hair and probably everything about her. And next to Mrs. Knight there were dozens of cousins, aunts and uncles, one more stuck up than the other.

She couldn't help but feel for Shitty because she understood now how misplaced he must have felt all those years. A pebble in a sea of gems…at least to them. For Lardo though, it was the other way around. Between all those people she'd talked to today she'd never once met anyone more interesting, kind and passionate than Shitty.

Another sting of pain moved through her like a spear and she shivered again, grasping Shitty's arm tighter. She felt like she was gonna be sick for sure if she didn't get out of here soon but she didn't want to leave Shitty alone. Not when she had promised him to help him through this.

"Lardo, are you sure you're okay?" Shitty asked again, his eyes clearly filled with worry. "You know, we can go. We've been here for hours, we talked to some people…it's okay. We don't need to stay."

Lardo swallowed. It was true, they'd been here for hours already but Shitty's grandmother had said something about a very special cake his cousin's wife Stacey made and had mentioned how important it was to Mr. Knight that everybody was there for the cutting. Shitty had told her afterwards that it probably wasn't important at all, not to his dad at least, but that his grandmother had a thing for guilt-tripping people into staying.

"Come on, let me get you to the hotel."

Shitty grabbed her hand, gently tagging her along with him into his father's direction. She felt eyes on her back but didn't turn around. It was probably just someone staring at them again, it had happened about a dozen times today already. They stuck out of the crowd like pink elephants.

"Dad, we're leaving. I would say it was a nice party but you already know that's a lie so I'm not gonna try," she heard Shitty say and her heart sank. Never in her life would she talk to her own father like that. Then again her father had actually taken the time of the day to make her life as livable as possible, she didn't have any reason to be indifferent to him.

"It was very nice meeting you, Mr.-" Lardo began and reached out her hand to say goodbye formally but Mr. Knight didn't even glance at her.

"Bernard, you can't leave now. Stacey worked very hard to create a wonderful cake, there's fireworks to come. You haven't even been here for two hours, you know how your grandmother gets. You haven't even tried talking to some of the people around here, I expected you to at least put in an effort to treat these people like your family not like random people at college."

Shitty didn't seem to be surprised by his father's outburst, didn't even blink and it broke Lardo's heart even more. How in the world did someone like Shitty end up with a family like this? How was it fair?

"We've been here for five hours, dad. I've talked to everyone I wanted to talk to, I have made enough effort. And now I want to leave. I'll make sure to give Stacey my apologies for missing out on her cake but I can guarantee you that I've eaten better cakes all year long anyway."

"Bernard! I will not discuss with you. You will stay and converse with your family like a normal person and you will eat your piece of cake and tell your cousin's wife that you've never eaten anything better or I swear to god…"

There was a pulsing vein on Mr. Knight's head that popped out dangerously.

"Sir, if you don't mind, Shi-Bernard really wants to stay but I am a bit unwell and I need to go back to the hotel." Lardo tried to keep her voice as calm and sweet as possible, given that her insides were cramping like crazy and her body felt inflammable.

"Then leave, it's not like anyone actually invited you," Mr. Knight's vein pulsed even more, his eyes were hard and cold and for a second Lardo felt like she couldn't breathe.

She'd been in situations like this before, it wasn't the first time someone had been rude towards her. Hell, as the team manager of the Samwell Men's Hockey Team she'd had more curses directed at her than she could count. Dozens of girls had made fun of her all the time for being a 'tomboy', for hanging out with the hockey guys, they'd thrown horrible accusations at her. But this felt…different. This felt like a bucket of ice water right in the face…and she knew how that felt, Lardo has done the Ice Bucket Challenge. Twice.

"Don't talk to her like that, she's not the one you're angry with," Shitty took a step forward, Lardo's hand still grasped in his.

Lardo's heart was beating so hard she could feel it in her throat and her head felt like it was getting closer to bursting by the second. If Mr. Knight would have been any rude guy she would've stepped on his toes with a sassy comment on her lips but this was different. Maybe it was because she felt like breaking down physically, the pain in her body spreading in waves.

"No, you are the one I am angry with. Because you seem to care more about this…stupid girl than you do about your own family. You are acting like a child, Bernard, refusing to talk to people and bringing her along with you when she clearly doesn't fit the crowd and-"

"Neither do I," Shitty said, a bit louder. People around them were staring at them though they didn't seem surprised. "And Lardo will always be more important than any of the people present here. She's the most important person in my life."

Lardo's heart clenched and she couldn't help but smile to herself. The most important person in his life, it was nice to hear that. Very nice.

She took a step forward, ready to finally say something to get this over with. Her patience was wearing thin, her wish to get into bed and curl into a ball bigger than the hope that this would end smoothly. She opened her mouth to speak, words already on her tongue, when a hand grasped her shoulder lightly.

"Charles! It's enough now, don't you think?"

Mrs. Knight was standing behind them, her face an unreadable mask.

"I agree that Bernard hasn't put in a lot of effort today but when does he ever do, Charles? He clearly feels uncomfortable around us, I pray to god that will change once he's in Harvard. Screaming at him won't change the matter at hand, will it? His girlfriend is clearly unwell, just look at her, all pale and weak on her legs. It would be unwise to keep her around, maybe she's sick and contagious. Just think about it…spreading all kinds of diseases around."

Lardo didn't know if she wanted to thank Mrs. Knight for helping them out or slap her for saying that she would spread diseases. She narrowed her eyes angrily.

"I'm not contagious, Jesus Christ, I'm on my fucking period," she huffed into Mrs. Knight's direction and Mr. Knight's face scrunched up like he'd bitten a lemon. Like Lardo had told him something absolutely gruesome.

There was silence around them, only the band in the background played music which made the silence only more awkward. Shitty stared at his grandmother with a mix of disgust and disbelief.

"Well, that settles it then. Bernard will take his girlfriend back to the hotel and take care of her. We'll see him for graduation when he has finally cut off that horrible hair of his. I don't want to hear any more words from either of you. This is supposed to be a happy occasion, I don't want anyone ruining the time I still have left with my family."

Lardo looked back at Shitty, who still had a sour expression on his face and swallowed again. This was just a clusterfuck of disasters, the whole day had been an overall catastrophe. It was not at all what she had planned. She'd wanted to make Shitty feel good and safe at one of his family's gatherings for once and now it had all gone south anyway.

"Come on, Lardo," she heard Shitty's voice next to her ear as he bent down and kissed her temple. "Let's leave."

They walked back to the car quietly, their fingers still intertwined and the eyes of the Knight family shooting daggers in their backs. Neither of them cared.

___________

The drive back to the hotel was mostly quiet. Lardo was leaning her head against the window, glad about the cold feeling against her heated skin. There was a Taylor Swift song playing on the radio and Lardo closed her eyes.

She felt Shitty glancing at her sporadically, his hand smoothing over her leg and hands every now and then in comfort. She smiled against the window, eyes still closed.

"I'm sorry I made things awkward," she whispered after a while. She opened her eyes to look at Shitty, only to find him looking back at her fondly.

"Lardo, that wasn't your fault. It's always like this. I could have spent all night there making fake conversation, it would have ended like this. That's just how my family works and it will never change. So don't worry about it, okay?"

Lardo bit her lip lightly, moving her hand towards Shitty's that was resting on the gear lever. Shitty’s eyes focused back on the road.

"You know, you actually made things better. I mean, I haven't been so relaxed at a family meeting ever since…well…ever I think. I've never been this relaxed. And I think my grandma likes you."

Lardo gave him a questioning look. "She said she thinks I spread diseases only five minutes ago, I doubt she likes me, Shitty."

Shitty chuckled. "Ah, well, she has always had a weird way of showing affection. I think she likes you at least a bit, bro. And Monica…she damn near adores you, I am telling you. I think she's thinking about running off with you."

Lardo laughed loudly. "I would 100% do her. She's fucking pretty. Clever too. Like…I have no idea what she sees in your dad."

"I don't know either. It's certainly not the money she wants, her family's got enough of that and she's not unsuccessful herself. Guess she loves him or something..." Shitty shrugged and shook his head.

He turned right at the sign of their hotel, parking the car a bit farther off. As soon as he had unbuckled his seatbelt, Shitty jumped out of the car and hurried over to Lardo's side to open the door for her.

"Damn Shitty, I am on my period, not disabled, bro. I can open doors just fine," Lardo laughed and jumped out of the car.

The cramps had reduced a bit during the drive and the upcoming headache had vanished completely. Maybe getting out of the situation had done the trick.

"I know that but as soon as we step foot into that hotel room, I am gonna spoil you rotten, Lards as a 'Thank You' for hanging out with my awful family." 

He took her hand again, pulling her gently towards the hotel. It wasn’t the nicest hotel in town, surely but it was good enough for both of them. Lardo didn’t need doorknobs made of gold or silky bed sheets. As long as there was a bed and a bath it was good enough for her and she knew that Shitty sometimes didn’t even need a bed, the floor was a good place to sleep for him. She always wondered why he sometimes slept on the floor in his dorm at Samwell voluntarily but he’d told her it was good for his back and more comfortable than expected. Lardo had tried it out after that and didn’t find it suitable for herself. 

The foyer of the hotel was small with red carpet that had stains here and there. A friendly looking man named Sami was sitting at the reception and waved at them when they walked in. Shitty waved back and then walked towards the elevators. 

They went up to their room in relative silence, only the sound of Shitty humming along to the elevator music broke the quiet until the doors opened with a ‘ding’. 

Shitty opened the door to their room and lead Lardo inside, his hand placed gently on her shoulder. Lardo took off her cardigan and shoes before dropping on her back on the queen-sized bed. 

The bed dipped next to her when Shitty sat down as well. 

“So...you wanna take a nap, bro? Or do you want to order some food?” he asked, laying down beside her. 

Lardo turned her head to look at him and was surprised to see Shitty’s face so close to her own. She held her breath, looking into his eyes for a few seconds. The sun shone through the window into the room, illuminating various strands of his flow with golden light. Lardo smiled. 

“I could also run you a bath, if you want. I heard that sometimes it can help with the cramps.” 

She shrugged her shoulders. “A bath could be nice. It’s been ages since I took a bath...we don’t have a tub at home.”

“So it’s settled then, you take a good, long bath and soak a bit in the water and I’ll order whatever you want to the room in the meantime,” Shitty said and sat up on the bed. “What kind of bath bombs do you like? I’ve got something with vanilla bean and coconut oil, a green one that smells like wildflowers and grass....oh, and one that smells like cinnamon and apples.” 

Lardo sat up as well, staring at Shitty who was crouched over his travel bag. 

“You brought bath bombs with you? Did you plan this?” she asked curiously.

Shitty shook his head. “No...well...not like this. I actually planned on taking a bath after tonight myself because my family always stresses me out like mad and these babies actually do their job. And they smell nice.” 

He threw one of the packages into Lardo’s direction and she caught it with one hand. There was a orange little ball inside the paper bag that smelled strongly of cinnamon but not in an obnoxious way. 

“I think this one would be best, giving the situation. It warms your muscles and relaxes them. Pretty nice after a long day.” 

Lardo nodded, nothing else on her mind she could say. It didn’t really surprise her that Shitty used things like bath bombs on a regular basis and knew what each one of them was supposed to do. He always took good care of himself and his body, this was just a step further in his routine apparently and Shitty’s never been the type to care about ‘gender labels’ like other people might have done. 

“I’ll take that one, then,” Lardo said and threw the little bag back at Shitty. 

“Right. Good choice. I am gonna go and run the water for you. I also got a bubble bath I am gonna put in, if that’s okay. You just go ahead and you know...undress...I guess to whatever level you feel comfortable with. Or you know...just wait til I come and get you, then you can do your thing in the bathroom.” 

Lardo smiled at that. She was always surprised how someone so comfortable with his own body and his own nudity was so considerate of other people’s boundaries. Just because he was comfortable being naked he didn’t expect her to feel the same way about that. 

The sound of running water from the bathroom brought her back to the moment and she thought about what to do for a moment. It’s not that she’d never been naked in front of him before. She didn’t mind getting changed in front of him, she always slept without a bra whenever she stayed in his room at the Haus but this was...different. 

Being completely naked and vulnerable in front of another person felt strange, especially giving the situation. She wasn’t ashamed of her body (or it’s functions for that matter) but she didn’t know how comfortable she felt with just going into the bathroom fully naked. 

Lardo walked over to her bag and grabbed a large towel. She could always wrap that around her until Shitty had left the bathroom. Slowly she stretched her arms behind her back to open up her dress before slipping out of it carefully. She undid her bra and sighed at the feeling of finally being free. She’d thought about going braless and had then decided against it because she knew Shitty’s family was pretty conservative about these things. All of the things, actually. 

She wrapped the towel around her and brushed the gel out of her short hair just as Shitty came out the bathroom door. For a second he just stood there, looking at her and Lardo looked down to see if maybe she’d stained the towel already but she couldn’t see anything. Shitty had a weird look on his face and for some reason she felt way more naked now than when she’d actually been naked a few seconds ago. 

“Uhm...the bath’s ready. You can just head inside and get in. I hope the temperature is alright for you.” he said. 

Lardo nodded. “Thanks, Shitty.” 

She closed the door behind her when she stepped into the bathroom, still thinking about that strange look on Shitty’s face. She’s never seen him look at her (or anyone for that matter) before and she wondered what it meant. Was he disgusted thinking about her being naked and on her period? She didn’t really think it was a very Shitty thing to do but still…

She looked back at the door one last time before she dropped the towel and got rid of her underwear and pad. She put everything next to the sink on the counter, making a mental note to throw it away later when she had time to look for the bin. 

The water felt hot on her skin when she stuck her foot in but not too hot and the air smelled like apples and cinnamon, a bit like Bitty’s applepie. There were mountains of white, fluffy bubbles and she playfully shoved them to the side as she got into the water fully. She definitely understood why Shitty was fond of bath bombs and bubble baths now, it was nice to feel like this once in awhile. 

Lardo sank back against the tub when Shitty knocked on the door.

“Bro, I am ordering food. What do you feel like? Pizza? Chinese? Sami told me there’s a pretty nice Indian place that delivers just round the corner,” he asked, keeping the door shut. 

She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to figure out what she wanted which was pretty hard because somehow her brain told her she wanted all of the food Shitty mentioned. 

“Uhm...let’s go for pizza,” she said loudly so Shitty could hear her through the door, finally deciding that pizza could never be a wrong choice. 

“Alright then. Ham, salami and mushrooms, extra cheese, right?” 

“Yep,” Lardo said, smiling at the fact that Shitty had remembered her favourite pizza. 

She knew it that he had probably remembered Ransom’s and Holster’s and Jack’s too, probably even Bitty’s but it still gave her a special feeling of fondness knowing that he knew her so well. It was nice to know that there was someone in the world that knew almost everything about her and also cared to remember every detail. 

Shitty’s voice was muffled outside, he was probably on the phone with the restaurant. Lardo leaned back again, enjoying the feeling of hot water relaxing her muscles and bubbles tickling her skin. She’d never really taken an expensive bath like this before, her parents never really had the money to spend it on bath bombs or baths in general and Samwell didn’t offer rooms or dorms with tubs either. The only times she’d taken a bath was at her grandmother’s house when she was little, the last time when she’d been a teenager. 

There was another knock on the door and Lardo looked up. 

“Lards...do you mind if I come in, bro?” 

Lardo looked down at the bubbles that nearly covered all of her body, at least all the important parts. 

“Sure. Come on in.” 

The door opened and Shitty came in, shirtless as always. Sometimes Lardo asked herself if maybe Shitty had a secret allergy against shirts. Not that she minded. Not at all, actually. He was nice to look at, she hadn’t chosen him as a model for her paintings for nothing. 

Shitty sank down next to the tub, near her head, not even trying to look through the bubbles. His eyes were focused on her face and Lardo didn’t know if she was disappointed or relieved. A little bit of both, probably. 

“Food should be here in 40 minutes. How’re you feeling? Better?” 

Shitty reached out his hand to lightly touch her own hand that was placed on the rim of the rub, stroking over her fingers gently. Goosebumps ran all over Lardo’s back and arms.

“Much better,” she said quietly. “My hair’s greasy, though, too much gel.” 

His eyes wandered up to her hair, kind of like he was inspecting it and then he moved his hand to touch her hair, slowly so she could back away. 

“I could wash it for you, I don’t mind. I know it’s kinda tricky with the bath bombs bc you don’t wanna get that stuff stuck in your hair either. So...you know…” 

She thought about it for a while. She had planned on just showering later on, to get it all out of her hair but the thought of Shitty washing her hair made shivers run down her spine and she couldn’t get the image out of her head. 

“Yeah, alright. Shampoo’s on the counter.” 

Shitty got up and walked over to the counter. Lardo’s body tensed up as she watched him walk towards the pad she’d forgotten but he didn’t even flinch when he saw it, just grabbed the shampoo bottle and came back to her. Lardo didn’t know what else she’d expected. 

“Right. I’ll turn on the shower head and wet your hair, sit up a bit and put your head back so the water doesn’t run into your eyes.” 

Lardo sat up, she knew the bubbles didn’t do a good job of hiding her breasts as that angle.

“He’s seen your tits before,” she reminded herself internally and relaxed her shoulders as she put her head back. 

It took a moment before the water hit her, cooler than the bathwater and she shivered for a second. She felt a hand on her forehead, gently shielding her face from the water. Her head grew heavy with the weight of her wet hair and she groaned in discomfort. 

“Okay, you can sit back again,” Shitty said as he turned off the shower head and Lardo let herself sink back immediately. 

The water was still playing around her breasts, just short under her nipples and Shitty gently moved a few bubbles over them again. Lardo looked up at him.

“I don’t mind.” she breathed out and bit her lip. Shitty let out a short breath and blinked at her before slowly moved them away again. His eyes were fixed on hers, questioning look on his face. He was as unsure about this as she was but she didn’t feel like any of this was out of bounds for them. 

He blinked again and then moved a bit to sit behind her. She closed her eyes, relaxed against the tub when she heard the cap of the bottle being opened. Just seconds later Shitty’s soft hands were in her wet hair, rubbing the shampoo in, massaging her scalp like they were made to do it. 

Lardo let out a tiny moan. Shitty stopped immediately. 

“Did I hurt you?” he asked and Lardo shook her head.

“No, it feels nice.” 

“Oh.” 

His hands started moving again, fingers drawing circles against the sensitive skin of her scalp, moving down to work the shampoo into the hair at the base of her neck. The smell of the bath bomb still filled the air, heavy cinnamon tingling in her nose, making her feel alive under Shitty’s hands. She moaned again, this time he didn’t stop but instead put a bit more pressure on her skin. 

Slowly his hands moved down her neck, massaging the tight muscles between her shoulder blades before moving to rest them beside her neck on either side. 

“This okay?” he murmured and Lardo shivered when she realized how close his voice was to her ear. She could feel his breath on her skin. 

For a moment it felt like she couldn’t breathe. What were they doing? Where was this going? She felt comfortable, she felt safe in his hands and she knew he would never hurt her or take this any further than she wanted it to go but...up until now she hadn’t even known he wanted to go that way? Had he been thinking about this before or was he just going with the flow? Following the heat of the moment? 

Lardo swallowed and Shitty took his hands off her body. The water felt much colder all of a sudden. 

“You don’t need to worry, Lardo. I can wash the shampoo out of your hair and leave. We never have to talk about this again if you don’t want to. Just...tell me what you want and I’ll do it. Whatever it is.” 

Shitty’s eyes were wide with honesty, an endless green sea and she felt like she was drowning in it. She’s wanted this for ages and didn’t even really realize it. Suddenly all of the glances made sense, all of the goosebumps when he touched her had a reason. Maybe she’d been in denial for a while but looking into his eyes made everything seems so clear.

He took care of her, he had her back, he was her best friend and he’d stay her best friend. He was the one always backing her up, helping her out, catching her in his arms whenever she felt like falling. 

“It’s okay,” she whispered. She didn’t know if she meant him touching her or them taking their friendship, their relationship, to another level entirely. It was all okay. It felt like it was the right thing to do. 

“Okay,” Shitty said and slid back behind her. 

Within second his hands were on her skin again, warm and steady, kneading her tense muscles and she let her head fall back further until it touched Shitty’s naked chest. There was something strangely sensual about the way he stroked her collarbones, let his fingers glide again her skin and Lardo let all the tension just float out of her body. 

She didn’t really know how long they stayed like this, Shitty working his fingers into her muscles skillfully before moving them back into her hair. 

“You can sit up again, I’ll wash the shampoo out,” he said quietly and Lardo did. 

Shitty put a hand up against her neck, supporting the weight of her head. Apparently he remembered her discomfort from before. Again the water hit her head and he moved his free hand through the strands of her hair to remove all excess of the shampoo. 

When he turned off the water, Lardo didn’t sink back into the water but instead stayed seated like she was, upper body almost fully above the water. The bubbles were mostly gone now. She bit her lip, unsure of what would happen now. 

Shitty grabbed the towel she’d let fall in front of the tub and stood up, holding it up for her. Lardo thought about it for a second before she stood up, too. For a moment she looked up at Shitty, he looked down at her but still just at her face. 

His eyes never faltered, not even for a moment when she stepped out of the tub. He just wrapped the towel tightly around Lardo before kissing her forehead. 

For a minute they stood in silence, just breathing each other in and Lardo sighed in content. The feeling of her naked skin, warm and damp from her bath against Shitty’s was comforting. 

After what felt like ages, Shitty took a step back and looked down at her. 

“I heard this is where the race against time and gravity starts,” he said and for a moment Lardo was confused about what he means before she realized. 

She laughed. “Who told you that?” 

“You did,” Shitty grinned and fumbled for something in the pocket of his trousers. He took out a blue plastic package and held it into Lardo’s direction, suddenly a bit nervous. “I didn’t go through your bag or anything but I may or may not always pack some...just in case someone needs them? One can never know.” 

She looked down for a moment and smiled. 

“Thought I’d bring it in with me so you don’t have to run back and forth. Uhm...I have tampons too, if you’d rather use those? I can totally get them from my bag if-”

“Shitty. Stop talking,” Lardo put her finger on his lips gently before taking the package out of his hand. “Thank you. That was very thoughtful of you.”

Shitty nodded and moved back a few steps. “Alright, I’ll leave you to it then. See you outside, bro.” 

He left the bathroom and with the sound of the door closing the moment was gone. Lardo didn’t care, though. She’d enjoyed it anyway and she knew that something had changed between them, not just in the span of the last few minutes. Things between them had been gradually changing ever since she came back from Kenya, maybe even before then. 

She didn’t know if it would happen again, if this was a one-time moment but she doubted it. Where she was quiet and thoughtful, Shitty was impulsive and always honest. He carried his heart on his tongue and he’d never say anything he didn’t mean...or do anything he didn’t want to do. Him going into the direction he did today was a clear indicator for her that he’d probably thought about it for some time. That he wanted to do this just as much as she wanted it. 

Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. Maybe not even this year. But someday. Someday they’d take the last step together and until they they’d just circle each other, having each other’s back like always. 

Lardo smiled. 

Someday. 


End file.
